Panel picks named for OC investigations

Friday

Jun 1, 2012 at 2:00 AM

GOSHEN — Orange County Legislature Chairman Michael Pillmeier announced Thursday the four Republicans and four Democrats he plans to place on two special investigation committees that lawmakers voted to create only two days earlier.

BY CHRIS MCKENNA

GOSHEN — Orange County Legislature Chairman Michael Pillmeier announced Thursday the four Republicans and four Democrats he plans to place on two special investigation committees that lawmakers voted to create only two days earlier.

In a memo emailed to his colleagues, Pillmeier named two Democrats and two Republicans to each panel. One committee is being formed to seek additional information on the condition of the county Government Center; the other will focus on the financial state and future of the Valley View nursing home.

Pillmeier's authority to choose the members was a central issue on Tuesday when lawmakers debated a proposal by Democrat Roxanne Donnery to form a single committee to look into both issues. Democrats feared the Republican chairman would make it too weak to conduct an aggressive investigation.

Lawmakers wound up approving two panels to do separate inquiries. And the members Pillmeier named to them on Thursday caused no immediate outcry, because he honored some of the Democrats' appointment requests and included two Republicans who supported Donnery's cause.

Appointed to the Government Center committee were Republicans Katie Bonelli and Al Buckbee and Democrats Jeff Berkman and Matt Turnbull. The Valley View panel consists of Donnery and fellow Democrat Tom Pahucki and Republicans Mike Anagnostakis and R.J. Smith.

"I'm pleased at this point," said Turnbull, a former builder who has argued for renovating the Government Center rather than replacing it. "An effort was made to put together a fair committee."

Both committees will hold subpoena power to demand records from the administration and compel testimony from county officials, employees and others. Legislators have approved spending up to $25,000 on each investigation.

Pillmeier said Tuesday that his appointments would be subject to confirmation, but it's unclear if lawmakers will vote on them at their June 7 meeting and when the committees — if approved — will begin their investigations. Pillmeier didn't return calls for comment on Thursday.

The investigations are being launched in the wake of the revelation that County Executive Ed Diana withheld a federal report on the Government Center's condition while lawmakers were debating his $75 million plan to demolish and replace it. Diana released the report last week after the Times Herald-Record got it from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and posted it online.